1st Edition

The Cultural Role of Architecture Contemporary and Historical Perspectives

Edited By Paul Emmons, Jane Lomholt, John Shannon Hendrix Copyright 2012
    256 Pages
    by Routledge

    256 Pages
    by Routledge

    Exploring the ambiguities of how we define the word ‘culture’ in our global society, this book identifies its imprint on architectural ideas. It examines the historical role of the cultural in architectural production and expression, looking at meaning and communication, tracing the formations of cultural identities.

    Chapters written by international academics in history, theory and philosophy of architecture, examine how different modes of representation throughout history have drawn profound meanings from cultural practices and beliefs. These are as diverse as the designs they inspire and include religious, mythic, poetic, political, and philosophical references.

    Prologue: Cultivating Architecture Nicholas Temple  Part 1: Architecture as Agent of Recovery, a Testimony to Values  Introduction Jane Lomholt  1. Greek Theatre as an Embodiment of Cultural Meaning Dagmar Weston  2. The Restoration of the Hut of Romulus Chris Siwicki  3. Il Corridoio Vasariano: A Resplendent Passage to Medici and Vasari’s Grandeur Liana Cheney  4. Language Beyond Metaphor: The Structural Symbolism of Borromini’s Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza Noé Badillo  5. Villa Albani, Repository of Multiple Narratives Jane Lomholt  6. The Space of Fiction: On the Cultural Relevance of Architecture Louise Pelletier  7. Using Old Stuff and Thinking in a New Way: Material Culture, Conservation and Fashion in Architecture Cristina González-Longo  Part 2: Architecture as Substance and Sustenance: Cultural Desires and Needs  Introduction Paul Emmons  8. De Beata Architectura, Places for Thinking Marco Frascari  9. Sverre Fehn: Materials and Culture Chris Hay  10. A Persuasive Topology: Alvar Aalto and the Ambience of History  Harry Charrington  11. Freiraum: Ideas of Freedom and Nature in the Work of Mies van der Rohe Jan Frohburg  12. Architectural Poetics in Alvaro Siza’s Church of Santa Maria Alexandra Stara  13. "The Play of Plans: Le Corbusier’s Serious Game of Dominos Paul Emmons  14. Something out of the "Ordinary" Gerald Adler  Part 3: A Time of Aspirations: Cultural Understanding of the Roles of Architecture  15. The Relevance of Beauty in Architecture Alberto Pérez-Gómez  16. Architectural Creation Between ‘Culture’ and ‘Civilization’ Nikolaos-Ion Terzoglou  17. Architectural Identity Demystified: Visual Voices from the Arab World Ashraf Salama  18. The Fiction of the Digital in the Mediated City Jason Crow  19. The Memory of Ruins and the Ruins of Memory Mark Cannata  20. The Conceptual Bearings of the Intercultural Role of Architecture Nader El-Bizri  21. Architecture as the Psyche of a Culture John Hendrix  Epilogue: The Necessity of Architecture John Hendrix

    Biography

    Paul Emmons is a registered architect and Associate Professor at the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center of Virginia Tech, USA where he directs the PhD program in Architecture and Design.

    John Hendrix is Professor of Architectural History at the University of Lincoln, UK and Adjunct Professor at Roger Williams University and at Rhode Island School of Design, USA.

    Jane Lomholt is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture at the University of Lincoln, UK, where she is head of History and Theory.